SPANISH FORT, Ala.—City leaders are re-examining circumstances that led to the recent outdoor sale of furniture on a major thoroughfare.

Spanish Fort resident and business owner Barbara McDonald raised the issue during the public participation portion of the June 20 City Council meeting as a "fact-finding mission."

"I, frankly, was rather embarrassed about it," said McDonald, noting that even her home-based business requires strict adherence to neighborhood covenants to remain operational.

"I’m a small business owner, so I don’t fault someone for trying to earn a living," she said, asking if the city doesn’t have standards in place governing such practices.

The sale took place on the north side of Spanish Fort Boulevard, less than a quarter of a mile from City Hall. The site once housed a service station.

Building Official Bruce Renkert said he issued the entrepreneurs in question a temporary vendor’s license that would have been valid for as many as 45 days, but the open-air furniture sale actually lasted no more than three days.

"They had the property owner’s permission, and the zoning was correct," Renkert said, likening the request to the operation of a fruit stand or Christmas tree lot.

City Attorney David Conner said it’s his recollection that the particular permitted use being cited was intended for temporary, seasonal enterprises, and he offered no opinion as to whether the sale of furniture falls squarely into the intended use description.

Mayor Joe Bonner said he understands McDonald’s concerns.

"It’s not something I would relish to see," Bonner said.

Aesthetic concerns, aside, Bonner said it bothers him to think someone could so easily sidestep the same steps taken by other local business owners who "go to all the trouble" of constructing or assuming the operations of an actual building.